Clutch hits vanish; so does mojo

Mark GonazlesTribune staff reporter

That confident feeling the White Sox's hitters once possessed seems as distant as their 19-inning victory over Boston on July 9. That was when Jermaine Dye hit a game-tying home run off closer Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the ninth and Tadahito Iguchi eventually delivered a game-winning bases-loaded single.

Since then, clutch hits and victories have been difficult to earn. But even more noticeable and frustrating to the Sox is the vanished sense of self-assurance in the face of any obstacle they encounter.

"It takes a little swagger to do those kinds of things," hitting coach Greg Walker said. "We have to get it back."

And soon. The Sox's 2-10 rut to start the second half has wiped out any chance of an immediate strike toward American League Central leader Detroit. The Sox won't see the Tigers until their next series Aug. 11-13 at U.S. Cellular Field.

And they also find themselves trailing in the AL wild-card playoff race, a once-unthinkable notion after strong hitting carried them to 57 victories before the All-Star break.

The highly anticipated trade for a reliever (Mike MacDougal) was made to help alleviate stress on a starting rotation that has struggled to pitch six quality innings.

But the hitters' recent struggles have blindsided the Sox, who believed the acquisition of Jim Thome strengthened a lineup that was good enough to win the World Series last season.

"When we started the season we thought we'd be better [offensively], but I didn't expect it," Walker said. "As a team, we were based on pitching and defense.

"And all of a sudden we're at the All-Star break and we're breaking records for batting average [with] runners in scoring position because there's no pressure. We were happy-go-lucky, loosey-goosey, man on second, two out, who cares, I'm going to drive him in. And now all of a sudden we're starting to press. We need to relax and get our swagger back. That's what's missing."

The blame is widespread. Since the debacle of Detroit taking two of three last week, the top of the order hasn't reached base with any consistency. And the middle of the order hasn't hit in the clutch.

Although Dye's batting average hasn't suffered a dip since the All-Star break, he went 10 games without a home run until hitting a two-run shot in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to Minnesota.

And with the exception of Joe Crede, who has five homers since the All-Star break, the bottom of the order has produced few meaningful hits.

Lineup changes don't seem imminent because the components fit so well in the first three months, with the top seven batters producing enough to compensate for slow starts by Nos. 8-9 batters Juan Uribe and Brian Anderson.

"All parts of this game run on timing and rhythm and, most important, attitude," leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik said. "I don't want to say we're going out there with a bad attitude. We just don't have that swagger to do what's right.

"It starts at the top. It's tough to get the offense going when the guys at the top aren't getting on base. Iguchi and I really haven't been in scoring position that consistently. And it filters down throughout the lineup."

Thome's arrival has shifted some of the pressure off Podsednik, who was the key to the Sox's offense last year. The Sox won the World Series despite a .259 average with runners in scoring position during the regular season, largely behind strong pitching and fielding. Podsednik would set the tempo by reaching base early, stealing a base and scoring to give the starting pitchers a cushion.

Walker believes the All-Star break came at the worst time for the Sox's hitters. They had an extra day off before resuming with tough road series against New York and Detroit and lost five of six.

"The formula for us is pitching and timely hitting," Walker said. "And I'd love our players to have big numbers, I really do. I want them to do well. But ultimately, the most important stat in baseball is wins. You win. That's the only thing that matters.

"When we seem to be going the best is when we get pitching and timely hitting. We get big hits, men on second with two outs or someone is in scoring position, and someone is getting the big hit. That formula worked for us last year and the first part of this year."